(Kenzo perspective)
Chapter 19: Who Is vengeance
Six hours.
Six whole hours of interrogation, and Renko Sukamo still hadn't broken.
I leaned back in my chair, spinning a pen between my fingers while Ren continued staring at him with that unnerving patience of his. Torture wasn't always about pain. Sometimes silence did a better job.
Renko finally sighed.
"...Listen to me. It was just an experiment to create a genius leader. That was all it was."
I couldn't help laughing.
"That's your defense? You kidnapped children and experimented on them. You people could spend the rest of your lives in prison."
Ren folded his arms.
"Judging by that look in your eyes, you're still hiding something. Tell us the real objective of the project... and tell us about the collateral damage."
I reached over and clicked on the recorder.
The tape began spinning.
Renko looked at the table before speaking.
"All I knew were three."
"And they are?" I asked.
He hesitated.
"...Subject X."
Ren frowned.
"What the hell is Subject X?"
I already had a bad feeling.
"He was one of your first experiments... wasn't he?"
Renko slowly nodded.
"Yes."
His voice remained strangely calm.
"We found an orphan and made him our first successful test subject. He possessed extraordinary intelligence... but his greatest weakness was his need for validation."
I listened without interrupting.
"When we transferred him to a high school in Washington, D.C., he became obsessed with a girl."
"...And then?"
"He went rogue."
Washington, D.C.
For a second, an old memory resurfaced.
I looked toward Renko.
"...Hold on."
"When Tetsuya and I were police interns... there was a stalking case."
Pieces of that investigation drifted back into my mind.
"There was a girl involved... her name started with an N..."
I rubbed my forehead.
"I can't remember."
Renko smiled.
"It doesn't matter whether you remember."
His smile widened.
"You two are already dead."
The room fell silent.
"So is Tetsuya."
I stared at him.
"What do you mean?"
Renko's smile became almost proud.
"We sent the Red Ghoul..."
He paused deliberately.
"...and one of our top mercenaries."
"...to kill Tetsuya Tadashi."
I almost laughed.
"You really think that'll work?"
I leaned forward.
"You could try a thousand times."
"Tetsuya would somehow survive all thousand."
"That's just the kind of idiot he is."
Before either of them could answer—
My phone rang.
I glanced at the screen.
Sato.
"...Well, that's unexpected."
I answered.
"It's been a while."
"What has it been... three years?"
Sato didn't bother with greetings.
"I need a favor."
His voice sounded strained.
"I need you to go to the NIFL immediately."
"A friend of mine is there."
"I think he's going to kill Toshiro Sobu."
Ren looked toward me.
"...Isn't that good riddance?"
I raised a finger, signaling him to stay quiet.
"Who's the friend?"
"...Fumiatsu."
My smile disappeared.
Images flashed through my head.
The hotel.
The fire.
Smoke.
A little girl.
A father desperately searching through the flames.
Fumiatsu.
Of course.
I finally understood.
"...He's looking for vengeance."
"Bingo."
Sato sighed.
"I also sent you something."
A notification appeared.
Neo Sun Tzu Project.
Ren and I opened the file.
We read every page.
Neither of us looked surprised.
If anything...
...it confirmed what we had already suspected.
There had always been something larger hiding behind this project.
I closed the document.
"Alright."
"We're heading to the NIFL."
We stood.
As we walked out, I looked back at Renko.
"We'll see you in a bit."
---
Ren reached for the driver's seat.
I grabbed the keys first.
"Oh, please."
"As if I'd let you drive."
He clicked his tongue while I started the engine.
The roads were almost empty.
For a few peaceful minutes...
...it almost felt like a normal drive.
Then my phone rang again.
An FBI colleague.
I answered in English.
"Kenzo, where are you?"
"We've assembled a team."
"Come to this location."
"We're all here to help."
I frowned.
"...Why didn't the Bureau tell us about this?"
"We're stronger together."
The agent laughed.
"Especially if we're going to bring down Toshiro Sobu."
I said nothing.
Neither did Ren.
The atmosphere inside the car changed instantly.
Something was wrong.
Not suspicious.
Wrong.
The kind of wrong that makes every instinct you've spent years sharpening start screaming.
I slowly turned the steering wheel.
The car began heading toward the meeting point.
Then—
A notification appeared.
One message.
From Tetsuya.
No explanation.
No greeting.
Just two words.
CODE: ROGUE
I stared at the screen for less than a second.
Then I slammed the brakes.
The tires screeched across the pavement.
Without saying a word, I made a sharp U-turn.
The engine roared.
I accelerated toward the NIFL.
My phone left my hand.
It flew out of the window.
Ren blinked.
"...Kenzo?"
I unclipped my FBI badge.
I looked at it for only a moment.
Years of work.
Years of loyalty.
Then I threw it into the darkness.
Before Ren could react, I reached over, unclipped his CIA identification, and tossed it out after mine.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell are you doing?"
I kept my eyes on the road.
My voice was calmer than I expected.
"Listen carefully, Ren."
The speedometer continued climbing.
"We're going into hiding."
Silence.
I took one slow breath.
"...Part of the FBI."
Another.
"...and part of the CIA..."
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel.
"...are going to try to kill us."
The rest of the drive was silent.